No. 11 Louisville needed a late surge but ultimately defeated upset Virginia 31-24 on Thursday night. The win moves the Cardinals closer to a spot in the ACC Championship Game and keeps their College Football Playoff hopes alive for another week.
Louisville running back Isaac Guerendo hit a 73-yard touchdown run with just 3:24 left in regulation to break a 24-24 tie and give the Cardinals a seven-point win, after entering the fourth quarter trailing by a touchdown.
Louisville appeared to be in control as it took a 14-0 lead late in the third quarter, but Virginia scored 21 unanswered points in five minutes after a series of wild plays. The Cavaliers scored two touchdowns just 10 seconds apart – one on an interception return – before taking a 21-14 lead with a touchdown scored on an offensive fumble recovery.
The teams traded field goals early in the fourth quarter before Louisville quarterback Jack Plummer found receiver Ahmari Huggins-Bruce wide open for a 52-yard touchdown, tying the game with 6:20 to play. Louisville’s defense – which forced two turnovers in the win – came up with a stop on the next drive to set up Guerendo’s game-winning touchdown. Virginia then had one final chance to tie the game, but turned the ball over on downs with 1:16 left.
- Plummer finished the game completing 19 of 28 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns with one interception, one of which Virginia returned for a touchdown
- Louisville’s special teams came up big in the win, blocking a punt in the second quarter that was ruled for a touchdown
- The game was suspended for nearly 11 minutes in the second half after Virginia running back Perris Jones suffered an injury that resulted in him being carried off on a stretcher and taken to a local hospital for further evaluation
- Louisville is now 9-1 for the first time since 2016, a season punctuated by then-Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson winning the Heisman Trophy
Cards are close to the ACC title game
While Louisville certainly helped itself in the ACC title race with a win, it has not yet secured a spot against No. 4 seed Florida State. The Cards need a Nov. 18 win at Miami or for No. 24 North Carolina to lose one of its remaining three ACC games to punch their ticket to Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on Dec. 2. That could be the case as early as Saturday. The Tar Heels take on rival Duke.
Louisville’s path to the College Football Playoff is a little more fluid. The Cardinals would have to win, of course, which would mean an upset of No. 4 Florida State in the conference title game. Still, the Cards would probably have to have some chaos in front of them — say, a two-loss Pac-12 or Big 12 champion — to earn a CFP invite.